Oakville man charged in York police multi-million dollar dark web bust

An Oakville man has been charged in a York police dark web bust that involved millions of dollars worth of illicit drugs, currency and luxury items.

Pui Yan Lai, 42, of Oakville and four other from Mississauga, Toronto, Vaughan and Brampton were charged in the investigation that ran for months.

Lai was charged with “Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence.”

Project Ghostwire was led by York police’s Guns, Gangs and Drug Enforcement Unit and the Cybercrime Unit in partnership with Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.

The investigation targeted the online sale and distribution of controlled substances through the dark web and other encrypted communication platforms.

York police say the dark web is a “concealed portion of the internet that is not indexed by conventional engines and is generally accessed through specialized browsers.”

Investigators identified a high-volume dark web vendor advertising cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and other controlled substances for sale in quantities ranging from street-level amounts to bulk orders of up to one kilogram.

The vendor accepted cryptocurrency and used private messages through dark web platforms to communicate with purchasers. Investigators identified that drugs were packaged and shipped through legitimate mail-delivery services.

Officers identified members of the distribution network and identified several addresses connected to the investigation.

On Feb. 20 of this year investigators executed multiple warrants, including a residence in Mississauga used in the day-to-day operation of the online drug distribution network.

Police seized more than 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl in pill and powder form, which they say is equal to approximately 48,000 potentially fatal doses.

Additionally, 5.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, 4.5 kilograms of ketamine, 700 grams of heroin, 5.4 kilograms of MDMA, 205 grams of crack cocaine, more than 1,100 tabs of LSD, 11,800 Xanax pills, 290 oxycodone pills and 110 hydromorphone pills were also seized.

The total estimated street value of the drugs seized is approximately $3 million.

Officers also seized a carbine assault rifle and ammunition, approximately $200,000 in cryptocurrency, $200,000 in Canadian currency and more than $1 million in proceeds of crime, including high-end vehicles and luxury watches.

Anyone with information is asked to the York Regional Police Guns, Gangs and Drug Enforcement Unit at 1-866-876-5423 x7817.

To provide information anonymously, Crime Stoppers of York Region online or at 1-800-222-TIPS.